Quick adjustable wrench



Dec. 22, 1936. W, JEFFRES `2,065,276

QUICK ADJUSTABLE WRENCH Filed Sept. l0, 1935 2 Sheeb'S-Sheet l A A llo mel;`

Dec. 22, 1936. W JEFFRES 2,065,276

QUIQK ADJUSTABLE WRENCH Filed sept. 10, '1935 2 sheets-sheet 2 nvenlor A Homey `Patented Dec. 22, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application September 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved wrench of the type including a handle forming lever having a rigid jaw at its outer end and provided adjacent said jaw with lateral guide means for a relatively movable jaw, the movable jaw being adjustable through the instrumentality of a manually manipulated feed nut, the refinements and improvements having to do with efficient and dependable means for expeditiously adjusting the movable jaw.

I employ a special turnable slip-nut having coordinated therewith substantially automatically operable resilient retention means to aid in holding the slip-nut in a released position so as not to interfere with the quick bodily adjustment of the movable jaw.

The preferred adaptation has to do with the use of a diametrically grooved and threaded nut which forms the so-called slip-nut, and to associate therewith diametrically opposite spring retention fingers and carrier means therefor.

Other objects and improvements will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is an elevational view showing an improved wrench embodying the feeding and quick adjusting means of my invention.

Figure 2 is an edge view of Figure l observing it in a direction from left to right and showing the index markers or lines on the respective parts in registry to disclose predetermined relationship of the parts.

Figure 3 is an exaggerated sectional view taken approximately on the plane of the line 3 3 of Figure l.

Figures 4 and 5 are side and top views of the special adapter unit forming the retention means for the slip-nut.

Figure 6 is a horizontal section on an enlarged scale, taken approximately on the plane of the line 5 6 of Figure l.

Referring now to the drawings by distinguishing reference numerals, reference being had to Figure 1, the handle or lever of the tool proper is denoted by the numeral l, this being more or less conventional and provided with a stationary gripping jaw or jaw-:face 8 at its outer end. The furcations 9 extending at right angles from one edge portion constitutes spaced guide elements for the shank portion ID of the L-shaped 10, 1935, Serial N0. 39,971

slidable or adjustable jaw unit Il. The outer end of this unit is of conventional form and the opposite edges of the shank are provided with customary teeth i2. The numeral I3 merely designates a suitable guide for the slidable shank which is disposed in parallelism to the guide lugs 9 and spaced sufficiently therefrom to accommodate vthe slip-nut I4 and the complemental adapter accessory I5. This part I5 as shown in Figures 4 and 5 comprises an externally knurled collar or ring i6 provided with diametrically opposed segmental blocks I'I fastened in place by pins I8. Held in place by the same pins and interposed between the blocks I'I and ring I6 are upstanding diametrically opposite spring retention fingers I9. The shank Ill slides between the blocks I'l and the fingers I9 are disposed in spaced parallelism therewith as illustrated in Figure 6, as well as in Figure 3. The slip-nut lli surrounds the shank Ill and the fingers le, Figure 3, and is opposed to the collar I6. That is to say, the two parts Ill and I6 are fitted between the guides 9 and I3. Referring to Figure 6, it will be observed that the two sets of screw threads in the slip nut I4 are denoted by the numerals 20 and that these have their end portions 2l fashioned or shaped to readily engage the teeth or threads l2 on the shank. This arrangement of threads I2 serves to define a pair of diametrically op-posed guideways 22 to accommodate the teeth i2 as here shown to allow the shank to slide for quick adjustment of the jaw II in relation to the jaw 8. All that is necessary to accomplish this is to turn the slip nut I4 so that the marker or index line 23 thereon is in alignment with the companion line 23a on the fixed collar i6. At this time the guideways or grooves 22 register with the teeth I2 and the spring fingers I9 engage the threads 20 (as shown in Figure 3) whereby to hold the slip-nut against rotation so as to allow the jaw or jaw unit II to be grasped and pulled bodily out to make the required adjustment. In a sense then, we merely have a feed nut I4 which functions as usual whenever necessary or desired for feeding the jaw unit in and out for minute adjustment. When, however, it is desired to make a quick adjustment either in or out of the jaw unit II the slip-nut I4 is simply turned around so that the lines 23 and 23a match at which time the guideways 22 come into matched relation with the teeth I2 permitting free in or out adjustment of the jaw unit.

Minor changes in shape, size and rearrangement of details coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a wrench and in combination, a handle having a xed jaw and spaced guides, a jaw opposed to the first-named jaw and having a shank threaded at opposite edges and plain at its sides and slidable an'd held against turning in said guides, an interiorly threaded feed nut turnable about said shank and positioned between and engaging one of said guides, said feed nut having opposite recesses in its thread to permit of the shank being moved rectilinearly through it, a

ring surrounding the shank and interposed between the nut and the other of said guides and having interior blocks opposed to the sides of the shank, pins securing said blocks to the ring, and spring fingers interposed between the ring and blocks and penetrated and held by the pins and extending from the ring into the nut to rest at the inner side of the thread of the nut; said nut and ring having exterior longitudinal lines adapted to be registered to indicate the relative position of the threads on the interior of the nut.

WALTER J EFFRES. 

